after fourteen days

Two weeks into my sojourn in India and I thought it timely to reflect on the last fourteen days for which I have provided mostly a series of day by day descriptions.

Before I do that, let me explain the photo appearing here, which I took on the way back from picking up my masala dosa parcel for breakfast this morning (not "take away" sir, but "parcel"). Stan had asked me the other day when we were skyping (will that be the new verb after "to google"?) what were the "blue crates" in one of the photos I have on facebook (the particular shot is from the corner of the junction and refers to the crates outside a shop just about opposite the might Imperial restaurant. I can now confirm, as I suspected, that the crates are milk crates and the shop in question is the Ernakulam Dairy and Icecream Parlour (I probably didn't need to know the latter - I'll be giving them a going over now).

With the umrellas up it's still raining tigers and elephants here in beautiful downtown Kochi. September to November is the "light" monsoon season and traditionally the rain has occurred only at night with the days bright and sunny. Last night and the night before, though, the rain bucketed down and it has been raining heavily most of this morning as well (it's just gone 11.00am here). Indeed, as I type there is an almost indignant increase in the amounts being tipped over us and the surrounds (almost as if Huey the weather god is saying "Yeh, what's it to you, kid?"). Ajith reckons that the climate has been changed since the tsunami of Christmas 2004 and, along with Raju, says you just can't predict what the weather will do anymore. What I do know is that I'm miffed at not being able to go for a walk in the park again today. Having made the determined effort to get back into the exercise swing of things, it's frustrating to be denied by the elements.

This leads me fairly neatly to my first observation about the last two weeks - the extent to which so many practices, resources, attitudes, rules and regulations that I have taken for granted for decades simply do not exist here (or at least exist in a form which is such a variation of the form to which I have been used, that they are largely unrecognisable). For example, when I was living in Melbourne in 2001, by driving around to the local malls, I was able to quickly populate the flat with all the necessaries (bed, iron and ironing board, crockery, cutlery, dining table and chairs, lounge and so on). I am not without transport here during the week, or access to the autos and so on during the weekend, but the reliance on others is not something to which I am used. On the way home the other night, Ajith kindly brought me to five different ATMs (all different banks) in an endeavour to secure some cash, but all to no avail. My debit card works in every other country in the world I have visited (even China) and yet I was not able to put some "readies" in the pocket.

On the other hand, it has been wonderfully rich and enriching learning experience, in the midst of a group of people who have supported me with a genuine sense of warmth and goodwill. They have been patient with my lack of local knowledge, my occasional frustration with the pace at which things happen, or don't happen, and tolerant of my "why hasn't, why can't, why isn't" questions that form part of this. The blog itself is a good learning experience as it gives me pause to reflect on each day as I write about it and garner my thoughts in more than just a descriptive way.

I look forward with a genuine sense of anticipation to the coming weeks and months - the various practices, resources, attitudes, rules and regulations will become more familiar to me, and I will continue to work in the midst of this welcoming, delightful group of people. So far, so good.